


there's still time

by hunterpedia



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, heres some aang content because theres like 4 works abt him, warning for genocide mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 08:37:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunterpedia/pseuds/hunterpedia
Summary: "As the avatar, you cannot allow yourself to ever be separated from the world this way."Aang and the things that have changed over 100 years, and those that did not.





	there's still time

_One._

The temple is empty, dusty, creepy. Nothing has lived there for a long time, and part of Aang knows it. No Air Nomad would've left it as it was. It’s no place for life anymore. Katara and Sokka must know it too, but they don't say anything.

They're bones. They're _bones._ All of them.

Sometimes it shakes him awake at night, the empty bed chambers and the abandoned fire nation armor on  the playgrounds and the robes clinging to the skeleton of Gyatso. Sometimes he thinks that they notice, sees the blurry shape of Katara and Sokka in their sleeping bags out of the corners of his vision and sees- or maybe imagines- them stiffen as if they're thinking about getting up for him. They never do.

Aang is grateful.  

He doesn't have the time for nightmares or for anger and grief. The entire world has had enough of it because of him, so much that he feels like he weighs tons by now, with every occupied city , every person they stumble upon. A hundred years changed the world so much.

How did they die? Were they hiding there before they were found, or did the Fire nation let them sit in a circle before killing them?  How could they just leave them here?

_Two._

Toph is younger than he is, but she’s so much harder than him. He doesn't know if its an earthbender thing, or a Toph thing.

“You Airbenders are all the same dodgy kind of runaways,” Top grunts at him as the earth under Aang’s feet tries to shake him off, and it stings, a little. “That’s why it was so easy to wipe you out,” Azula smiles at him and it hurts.

It’s all a little foreign to them, the meditating in early mornings and the vegetarianism, and sometimes Aang still forgets that none of his friends really know about Air Nomads, that they're just a tragic tale at least and a grande triumph in history books at most.

So when Toph asks if she can join him one morning, he feels pressed to tell her it might be boring.  She says she knows, sits down next to him anyways, and closes her eyes.

It's been a hundred years since he's last meditated with someone else. He can remember it even now, the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine in the air and his head already filled with worry over the world, over the four elements thrumming in his veins, pressing his tongue between his teeth, biting down. When he finally opens his eyes again after he notices his breathing getting too short and heavy he hears Toph's voice.

“You okay, Twinkletoes?” she still has her eyes closed, but Aang still doesn't have the courage to look at her. “Yeah,” he breathes, scrubbing the wetness around his eyes away. “Sorry,” he adds because he feels like he has to.

“For what? This is pretty nice actually.” Aang can hear the smile in her words. “My headache from Sokka is completely gone. Tell me next time you're doing this again, yeah?”

_Three._

When he first meets Zuko, he doesn't feel afraid, not really. He's so much not older than him, so it's difficult.

He's not afraid, but the feeling that forms in his stomach at the way Zuko looks at him is worse, sticky like shame and heavy like dread.

Aang is not anything like anybody expected, he knows that. People learn he's the Avatar and they're relieved, disappointed, angry, sad.  But Zuko _hates_ him. Zuko sees him and sees the Avatar, and hates him.

“You're just a _child_ ,” Zuko spits at him in his head. “Do you think we could've been friends?” Aang asks anyways because he doesn't want Zuko to think of him as whoever made him able to hate so passionately in the first place. It's like his entire heart is on fire with it, every time he meets him.

But it's so different when he was unconscious. Zuko is not what a bad person feels like.

He tries to shoot him anyways, after Aang’s asked.

Later, Aang tells him, “I'm glad we’re friends now.” and Zuko looks at him like he can't decide whether he's shocked or surprised.

“How are we friends? I tried to capture you and get you killed. At least ten times. And it would've been more if i didn't had to chase you down to do it every time.”

“Do you not want to be friends?” Aang asks.

Zuko stares.

“Because if it's only because of what happened, I forgive you.” he continues before Zuko can say something. “And I want to be friends, so if you want to be too, then we are, because I want us to be, too. Friends, I mean.”

Zuko crosses his arms and mutters something into his own chest, but he doesn't say no.

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like atla really glossed over a lot of aangs character and doing him pretty wrong like. putting this 12 year old into a final relationship with this girl he has an obvious puppy crush on to end the series with the guy gets the girl instead of focusing on maybe this traumatized child just having a family to rely on.. plus everyone being like hey aang i know that you were with all the people youve ever loved felt three days ago but the air nomads are super dead and the firenation super slaughtered them but dont worry youll get to feel bad about it in one episode


End file.
